Ongoing Research into End-of-Life Pathways for Plastic Film Materials
Plastic film materials play a critical but often overlooked role in modern supply chains, agriculture, and packaging. From product containment to load stabilization, thin plastic films deliver essential performance—providing flexibility, durability, and secure wrapping—while presenting persistent end-of-life challenges. This research release is part of Plastonix’s ongoing Plastic Film Research Series, which examines how different film materials behave under controlled laboratory processing conditions, with the goal of improving understanding of difficult-to-recycle plastic films. The Plastic Film Research Series began with an examination of agricultural bale wrap films, establishing a baseline for how thin plastic films behave under controlled laboratory processing conditions before expanding into additional film categories.
Packaging Stretch Wrap and Pallet Wrap in the Plastic Film Research Series
Plastonix’s plastic film research focuses on materials that share a common form factor—thin, flexible films—but are used across very different industrial environments. Packaging stretch wrap and industrial pallet wrap are among the most common plastic film applications used in logistics and distribution, designed to secure products during storage and transport.
While these materials are functionally effective and widely adopted, they often reach end of life with limited recovery options. This article positions packaging stretch wrap and pallet wrap within Plastonix’s broader research into plastic films, distinct from prior work on rigid plastics and construction insulation materials. Rather than restating a full series rationale, this release applies the same observation-driven methodology to a packaging film category that is used at scale yet remains challenging to manage at end of life.
Why Packaging Stretch Wrap and Pallet Wrap Present End-of-Life Challenges
Packaging stretch wrap and pallet wrap are typically manufactured from polyethylene-based formulations, most commonly linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and related polyolefin blends. These materials are engineered to stretch, cling, and maintain tension after stretching, allowing them to tightly secure loads on pallets and protect goods during transit.
Those same properties create challenges once the material is discarded. Plastic stretch films are thin, lightweight, and prone to tangling, which makes them difficult to handle in conventional recycling systems. In addition, packaging films often enter the waste stream mixed with labels, tapes, or other packaging materials, further complicating recovery.
As a result, stretch wrap and pallet wrap frequently become part of broader industrial plastic waste streams and are often landfilled rather than recycled. These realities place packaging stretch wrap among the most difficult-to-recycle plastic films, despite being produced from resins that are technically recyclable under controlled conditions.
Research Objective: Stretch and Pallet Wrap Processing
The objective of this research was not to demonstrate recycling outcomes, but to observe how plastic stretch wrap and pallet wrap behave when processed under Plastonix laboratory conditions. Researchers focused on physical material response rather than finished products, market applications, or performance claims.
Testing was exploratory in nature and designed to support Plastonix’s broader research program into plastic film behavior. The proprietary Transformix™ system was used during processing to help researchers observe how the films behave during handling, densification, and later material handling steps.
Preliminary Findings (Part 1): Stretch and Pallet Wrap Densification
In early laboratory testing, Plastonix researchers observed that plastic stretch wrap and pallet wrap films could be processed into a contiguous mass of material. Rather than remaining as loose, flexible film, the shredded packaging films consolidated into a denser physical form.
This densification represents a notable physical transformation for packaging films, which are typically difficult to manage due to their low bulk density and tendency to entangle. Researchers also observed that pre-shredding the films prior to processing improved handling efficiency and reduced processing time compared to unshredded film.
Importantly, different plastic packaging formulations were processed together during testing, eliminating the need for sorting at this early stage of evaluation. These observations are limited to physical behavior only and do not imply recyclability, performance outcomes, or commercial viability.
Preliminary Laboratory Findings (Part 2): Mechanical Size Reduction
Following densification, researchers observed that the consolidated stretch and pallet wrap material could be cut down to size and subjected to mechanical size-reduction processes such as regrinding or chipping.
This step demonstrated that the densified material could be physically manipulated using conventional mechanical methods, enabling additional downstream evaluation. The ability to reduce the material into smaller, manageable forms is an important prerequisite for further research into compatibility with other plastic formulations.
Importantly, these findings do not imply product development, reuse pathways, or market readiness. The observations are limited strictly to physical handling characteristics under laboratory conditions.
Interpreting the Results: What This Research Does and Does Not Show
These early findings suggest that packaging stretch wrap and pallet wrap exhibit material behaviors that may allow for alternative handling and evaluation pathways compared to untreated film plastics. Observations related to densification, mixed-formulation processing, and mechanical size reduction provide useful insight into how these materials respond under controlled conditions.
However, this research does not demonstrate closed-loop recycling, commercial feasibility, environmental impact benefits, or end-use applications. No conclusions are drawn regarding stretch wrap or pallet wrap being recycled into new packaging products or other goods.
The results should be viewed as foundational observations that inform future research directions rather than definitive outcomes.
Path Forward
Consistent with earlier Plastonix research releases, next steps will focus on additional laboratory evaluation. Planned work includes repeatability testing to assess consistency of densification behavior, further examination of size-reduced material characteristics, and exploration of compatibility with other plastic film formulations under evaluation.
No timelines, commercialization plans, or market implications are inferred at this stage.
Continuing Research and Evaluation
These findings reflect preliminary laboratory research conducted as part of Plastonix’s ongoing evaluation of difficult-to-recycle plastic films. Packaging stretch wrap and pallet wrap are positioned within a broader plastic films roadmap that includes other industrial and packaging film applications.
For readers seeking additional context on how Plastonix approaches plastic processing, further information is available on the Plastonix Technology page. That overview explains the broader framework that guides this and other research efforts, allowing this article to focus on material observations without repeating technical detail.
Plastic film materials are used across industries because they work exceptionally well in demanding environments. Understanding how those same materials behave at end of life is a necessary step toward developing more effective recovery pathways—an effort that Plastonix will continue to advance through disciplined, application-specific research.
About Plastonix
Plastonix is a plastic recycling technology company focused on enabling the recovery and reuse of difficult-to-recycle plastics. Plastonix designs, manufactures, and continuously improves its proprietary Transformix™ system and conducts laboratory and applied research across a wide range of plastic materials.
All findings described in this article are preliminary and subject to further validation. Organizations interested in Plastonix research or technology evaluation are encouraged to contact Plastonix directly to discuss research or partnership inquiries.